Norwalk council votes to continue Health on Wheels program for students

As school nurses have become history on some campuses, Norwalk officials and educators have their own way of giving pupils a chance to receive medical care while at school — put nurses in an RV and have them visit different elementary schools in turn.

Norwalk’s City Council voted this week to approve a two-year extension to the Health on Wheels program, which has been in place since 1996. The agreement between the city and Norwalk La Mirada Unified School District also involves Cal State Long Beach Foundation and Kaiser Permanente, which respectively provide nursing practitioners to provide medical services and a doctor responsible to oversee and mentor those who are providing services.

“It’s an RV that rolls out to different schools every day. It’s like a nurse on wheels,” said Veronica Garcia, Norwalk’s social services director.

Health on Wheels brings nursing practitioners to nine Norwalk elementary schools and one Head Start campus, according to the program’s website. Caregivers can provide physical examination, vaccinations, tuberculosis testing and other services, including the diagnosis of acute illness. Students are eligible if they are under the age of 18, are not covered by health insurance, meet low-income criteria and live within the schools’ service area.

Parents must provide written consent for their children to receive care. Services are available during the calendar school year.

Garcia said the program was born out of a recognition that school nurses are no longer an everyday presence at many schools.

The National Association of School Nurses reported in May that although the United States is home to roughly 100,000 public elementary and secondary schools, there are only some 74,000 school nurses.

The association further reported that more than a half of U.S. schools do not have a nurse on campus throughout the entire school day, and up to a quarter of schools do not even have a nurse on site.